New parish hall is dream come true in Harrison County

St. Joseph parishioners join Father Daniel Atkins, pastor, at the groundbreaking for a long-awaited parish hall in Corydon on April 13. The group who broke ground included project manager Joe Shireman, left; architect Larry Timperman (hidden); fundraising committee members Ron Casabella and Mike Bennett; Father Atkins; parish finance chairman Ed Hoehn; parish council president Teresa King; and Heidi Imberi, the principal of St. Joseph School. (Photo by Patricia Happel Cornwell)

By Patricia Happel Cornwell (Special to The Criterion)

CORYDON—On April 13, a dream of two decades became reality during a groundbreaking ceremony at St. Joseph Church in Corydon. A long-awaited parish hall is finally being built to serve the Harrison County tri-parish Catholic community.

Despite the cold and rain, 200 people were on hand to see the first symbolic shovelfuls of dirt turned. Father Daniel Atkins, pastor, said completion is expected by the end of 2008.

“We have witnessed major growth in our parish in the past five years,” said Joe Shireman, parish hall project manager. “Our families today are more active than ever in fellowship and faith-sharing.”

The tri-parish includes 388 families at St. Joseph, and 75 families each at St. Peter Parish in Harrison County and Most Precious Blood Parish in New Middletown, missions of St. Joseph Parish since 1916.

The new building will accommodate 40 ministries from Bible study groups, funeral meals and committee meetings to religious education, youth ministry and school activities. Active ministries have more than tripled in the tri-parish in recent years. Most evenings find several groups meeting, some seated at tables in the church narthex for lack of space.

In 1896, St. Joseph’s first church was erected at the corner of East High and Mulberry streets in Corydon. The small clapboard structure has served as a meeting room and school cafeteria since St. Joseph’s modern brick church was built in 1986. The old church will be demolished when the hall is completed.

When the present church was dedicated, the need for a hall was already being considered. Finally, in December 2004, a planning group was formed. The committee estimated that the project would cost $1.4 million.

“Unfortunately,” Shireman said, “inflation and major increases in the costs of copper, steel and other building commodities have pushed our project total to $1,812,000. However, the decision has been made not to postpone the project any longer.”

In addition to individual contributions, funds were raised through spaghetti dinners, style shows, Mardi Gras lip-sync shows, card tournaments, a book sale and a golf tournament.

Ironically, most of these events had to be held in other facilities in Corydon and Lanesville because of the lack of space at St. Joseph. For several years, even luncheons following funerals at St. Joseph have been held at a Methodist church a mile away.

Mike Bennett, a member of the fundraising committee, told the jubilant crowd, “Turn to the person next to you and thank them because everyone here made this happen.”

Parishioners’ sacrificial giving has been sufficient to finish the building, but they need to raise $300,000 more for new kitchen equipment, bleachers and an elevator. The hall will have four multipurpose meeting rooms with retractable walls, a kitchen, storage areas, handicap-accessible restrooms and a gymnasium.

The new facility will connect the parish school and church. St. Joseph School principal Heidi Imberi said, “The children are excited because now they will be able to go to church or to lunch without wearing coats.”

Joining Father Atkins on a rainy Sunday to turn the first clumps of sod were Shireman, Bennett, Imberi, parish finance chairman Ed Hoehn, parish council president Teresa King, fundraising committee member Ron Casabella and architect Larry Timperman.

Father Atkins has returned to Guadalajara, Mexico, where he is studying Spanish and serving as a sacramental minister until July.

One parishioner told him as he left, “When you get home, you won’t recognize this place!” †